Timor Sparrow
Encyclopedia
The Timor Sparrow, Padda fuscata also known as Timor Dusky Sparrow is a small, approximately 14cm long, plump dark brown songbird
with a large silvery-blue bill
, white cheek, pink feet and creamy-white belly. Both sexes are similar.
Its appearance resembles the closely related Java Sparrow
but is smaller than the latter and has different colored plumage. The Timor Sparrow inhabits to grasslands and lowlands of West Timor
, Semau
and Rote Island
of Indonesia
, and East Timor
. The diet consists mainly of rice and seeds.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and illegal trapping for cage-bird trade, the Timor Sparrow is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
with a large silvery-blue bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, white cheek, pink feet and creamy-white belly. Both sexes are similar.
Its appearance resembles the closely related Java Sparrow
Java Sparrow
The Java Sparrow, Padda oryzivora also known as Java Finch, Java Rice Sparrow or Java Rice Bird is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in Java, Bali and Bawean in Indonesia. It is a popular cagebird, and has been introduced in a large number of other...
but is smaller than the latter and has different colored plumage. The Timor Sparrow inhabits to grasslands and lowlands of West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
, Semau
Semau
Semau, also known as Pusmau and Pasar Pusmau, is an island in the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is located 20 miles off the harbor of Kupang. The inhabitants of Samau are the Helong people, who some believe are the original inhabitants of the Kupang area. It is a supplier of firewood...
and Rote Island
Rote Island
right|thumb|300px|Satellite photo of RotiRote Island is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It has an area of . It lies northeast of the Australian coast and northeast of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands. The island is situated to the...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. The diet consists mainly of rice and seeds.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and illegal trapping for cage-bird trade, the Timor Sparrow is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species.